


Welcome Home

by Brook182



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, I wrote this at midnight in two hours, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:47:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28325559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brook182/pseuds/Brook182
Summary: The difference between them was jarring at first but it had soon become so normal to expect the easy compliments and bold yet private gestures of affection and loyalty that Lancelot would so readily extend that the prospect of returning to his home was a startlingly unwelcome idea.
Relationships: Shadow the Hedgehog & Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silvermun (simplydrastic)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplydrastic/gifts).



> This chapter is subject to change. It's pathetically short, but, apparently, there's more plot than I thought.

During Sonic’s eight-month reign as king of Camelot, he had quickly come to realise how contrasting this world was with his own.

For one, the monarchy and the society in King Arthur’s world were respectively leagues less chaotic and riotous than his own planet’s iron-fist governing system and glorified SWAT team, and civilisation.

For another more personal take, Shadow and Lance, while the same person on the outside, were completely unlike each other. The difference between them was jarring at first but it had soon become so normal to expect the easy compliments and bold yet private gestures of affection and loyalty that Lancelot would so readily extend that the prospect of returning home- where his relationship with Shadow was uncertain at best and tense at worst- was a startlingly unwelcome idea.

However, the transfer was inevitable and he had been dreading his departure from Camelot the moment he and Lancelot had their first real talk, an actual conversation shared between two people without any titles involved. It sounds cheesy, but that was the exact moment he truly considered staying in Camelot forever. His chances with the real Shadow seemed infinitesimal and his attempts to spark something in the past had yielded no results. He knew it was selfish to expect Lancelot to be okay with Sonic using him as a knock-off replacement rather than loving him for who he was. He knew that keeping that from him was even more despicable than searching for someone else in Lance's eyes for so long that it became too natural to see anyone other than a Shadow that doesn’t exist; a person that would never return his love.

It made him sick to think that he was doing that to someone he deeply cared for and they were none the wiser to his desperate attempts at formulating a simulated relationship. That, above everything else, pushed him to finally take the leap.

The farewell, while heartfelt and moving, was gripped with hesitation.

"I know I have to go, and I know we've already found a successor for the throne-" Sonic said in a watery voice as he hugged his friend, no longer his dutiful knight. He sniffled before continuing "-but I don't want to leave you."

Lancelot laughed sadly as they separated. His eyes shone with unshed tears as he gripped Sonic's shoulders. "I know you're strong enough to move on without me, Sire."

"Don't call me that," Sonic laughed, unsuccessfully wiping away his freely flowing tears. "I'm not the king anymore."

"No, not technically." There was a small, genuine smile on the knight's face as he brought the former king's hand up to his lips. "But you will always be my king."

Sonic blushed furiously, hiding his face behind his free hand before he recalled his big reason for leaving and sighed gloomily. He reached up to gently touch Lance's cheek, a silent promise to remember him before he signalled that he was ready to go. Once Merlina opened the portal he vanished from the kingdom and appeared in Station Square.

The vastly different scenery took him by surprise. Not realising he was idly standing in the middle of the road he nearly jumped three feet in the air when he heard a car’s horn for the first time in eight months. Once he took in the speeding vehicle headed his way he bolted for the sidewalk and ran straight into a civilian, knocking himself and his victim onto the concrete.

“Hey, watch it!” The citizen scolded in a gruff voice.

“Sorry, I- Shadow?” As Shadow finally looked up, Sonic could see the second of surprise that graced his face before he returned his features to their indifferent deadpan- his resting bitch face if you will.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Well, hello to you too.”

“Where were you, you idiot? Everyone has been looking for you. You’ve been gone for weeks.” Sonic could understand that what Shadow was saying was meant to sound urgent but his words just came out sounding more nonchalant than concerned.

“Wow, really not gonna give me a chance to get settled in, are you?”

Shadow didn’t say a word, though his fractionally raised eyebrow effectively communicated his growing impatience.

Sonic sighed heavily. He missed Shadow more than he probably knows, but he was sad and tired and he just wanted to find his feet in his own world again. “Not now, okay? I’m not in the mood to be interrogated.”

Shadow apparently took the hint and let the subject drop, though he threatened, _actually threatened_ , to get the truth from him later, which Sonic could have taken that as he was just worried about him, yet all he considered was that Shadow just wanted to figure out if G.U.N. had planned his disappearance.

“Why don’t we just take a walk. You’ve been gone for a while and you look out of place.” Shadow noted. As usual, he was the ever-observant one. He stood up from the pavement and stretched his hand to Sonic to help him up.

Sonic smiled and took his offered hand gratefully. Shadow didn’t usually take spur-of-the-moment walks with people. His unusual concern wasn’t unwelcome, but it made Sonic feel slightly uneasy considering his usual nature of just shrugging things off. Nevertheless, he accepted the offer. “I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> "Within this limbo of uncertainty, the only solace is the friendship he had successfully sustained."
> 
> Stay tuned for the next chapter!


End file.
